Tools for Transforming Trauma - The Eleventh International Erickson ...

could be a squeeze of the wrist, a fist, or an OK sign. Whatever he would like to create. Make
sure the patient is still strongly in the positive state. Have the patient make the “positive button”.
You can also repeat the auditory label that they created.
4) Have the patient establish a doubly dissociated point of view.
Specifically, have patient imagine himself sitting in a movie theater. It should not be a very good
movie theater, other than very comfortable seats. It is small screen and poor sound. The person
should imagine that he and you are sitting about two thirds of the way back. Ask the patient to
tell you once he has this in mind. Then have the patient imagine himself floating up to the
projection booth or off to the side even further back so that he can see you and him sitting
together watching the blank screen. This double dissociation allows for a great deal of safety. It
is also symbolic of creating an observing self that can see the patient in a therapeutic relationship
with the therapist. You can also establish an anchor for this state by tapping on a table or
snapping your fingers.
5) Re-Condition the SoC’s linked to the trauma. At this point the patient is now up in the
projection booth watching himself sitting with you comfortably. He should also be feeling the
resourceful state of mind both in the booth and in the chair. The goal is to hold these states
constant while the patient reviews the trauma. The patient is instructed to keep the resource SoC
constant while he watches the trauma from beginning until he gets to the point after the traumatic
event is over. The patient is told to use his “positive button” to strengthen the resource whenever
he needs to. The patient can be told that he can watch the movie at a very fast speed if he
wants. He can watch the movie more than once if he needs to. The suggestion is given that
somehow the patient will know when he is finished. While the movie is running the therapist
must reinforce the positive SoC with verbal suggestion. The therapist wants to keep the patient
associated to the resource SoC, in the current year, to the current aged self. To do this the
following language is used:
"as you continue up in the projection booth feeling "resource label" watching you and me sitting
here feeling "resource label" in 2005 ( current year) watching what the younger you went through
back then..."
While the patient watches the movie the therapist can suggest that he may notice
something different that he had not realized before, or he may have a new perspective on what
happened since He is reviewing this event in this new way. It can be helpful to underscore that
this may be the first time that he has been able to acknowledge the trauma without being in it.
It is imperative that the therapist keeps watching the patient for signs of trouble
and not allow him to fall back into the traumatic feelings/experiences. If at any time the
patient starts to develop the traumatic experience, reinforce the dissociation or resource anchor.
If that does not work, use sub-modalities to reduce the affect by making the movie farther away or
smaller or black and white. Sometimes it is enough to just remind the patient not to associate
into the movie. If this does not work stop the treatment. You will need to go back to the drawing
boards. See the following section on trouble shooting TRC.
6) Re-valuing the self: When patient finishes watching the old experience (he may need to
watch more than one time- This is a matter of clinical acumen and the patient's own desires) -
Release the dissociation cue and instruct patient to float back to his or her body. Have patient
from the here and now resourceful position look at younger self at the end of the trauma. Have
the patient walk down to the movie screen. Ask the patient to do one of the following things:
either a) step into the picture or b) bring the younger self off the screen, or c) just talk to the
younger self on the screen.
Instruct the patient to tell the younger self whatever, "he needs for healing". In some
cases the patient can be left completely on their own to say what they need to say to himself. It is
often helpful to offer some possible things to say. These can include: a) the patient is from the
future and is living proof that the younger person survived, b) that he made the best choice
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